This invention relates to a wall hanging including a heat source and more particularly to a wall hanging with a heating panel having a thermostatic control, a safety cut-off switch, and simple alarm means to deter theft.
Heat transfer by radiation and convention have long been used as means for transferring energy in situations where the object to be heated is a relatively small room, and the temperature differential between the room and the outside is relatively low.
Prior devices for heating a small space, such as a room in a residence or a hotel room, include baseboard radiators, radiant heaters attached to or placed in ceilings, radiant heaters in floors and forced air systems. These prior art heating devices are inherently inefficient and even in relatively warm regions, such as Southern California, require about six watts per square foot of floor surface area to provide adequate heating.
There are also radiant wall heating panels. Such heating panels generally operate at relatively lower temperatures, seldom exceeding 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and may further include a decorative type coating so that the panel may be mounted on a wall and still be harmonious with the surroundings. An example of such a heating panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,453,413. Heating panels of this general nature are generally constructed of components especially fabricated for this purpose and have no means for controlling the heat output.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,823 to the subject inventor discloses a portable decorative heating device formed as a panel to be hung on a wall to provide heat by both radiation and convection.